A bolt from the blue: how Frankie Dettori's Magnificent Seven changed life for bookies and punters as well as himself

Among all the happy reminiscing and melancholy farewells of Frankie Dettori's departure from British racing, there is mixed in a generous measure of quiet relief from bookmakers. Other jockeys have had that dangerous combination of talent and popularity, enough to trigger significant payouts on occasion, but only one has ever been sufficiently God-like to hurl an actual bolt from the blue in their direction, a shaft of lightning that did more than just singe a few eyebrows.

Of course, it was a long time ago – 27 years and three weeks to be precise. But you wouldn't ever want to turn your back on a man like Dettori because in 2019 he very nearly did it again, winning the first four races on Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot. 

Old hands in the bookmaking trade started getting flashbacks and stretched out tremulous fingers for the pill box. Young bucks were given a taste of that terror from the past as an abyss opened up at their feet.